Clippers beat Nets despite Thomas
Paul George scored 29 points, Kawhi Leonard added 24 and the Los Angeles Clippers overcame a career-high 47 points from Cam Thomas in his first start to beat the shorthanded Brooklyn Nets 124116 on Monday night.
Ivica Zubac added 19 points and 12 rebounds for the Clippers, who won for the eighth time in 10 games and finished 4-2 on their six-game Eastern Conference road trip.
Thomas, who scored 44 to rally the Nets past Washington on Saturday, was even better on the day the Nets completed the trade that sent Kyrie Irving to Dallas. But Los Angeles outscored Brooklyn 25-9 over the final 6:20.
Nic Claxton had 15 points and 15 rebounds for the Nets, while Edmund Sumner chipped in 23 points for Brooklyn. Before the game, the deal that sent Irving and forward Markieff Morris to Dallas for Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-smith and multiple draft picks was announced.
CELTICS 111, PISTONS 99
Jayson Tatum started slow and finished strong with 34 points, 11 rebounds and six assists, leading Boston over Detroit.
The All-star forward missed his first five shots and had as many fouls (three) as field goals after missing 10 shots in the first half. Tatum made three 3-pointers and an array of driving layups in the third, scoring 18 points in the quarter to turn a sevenpoint halftime lead into a 18-point cushion.
Celtics guard Jaylen Brown, who averages 27 points, missed the game with a NON-COVID illness. Sam Hauser filled in, making his first start in two seasons, and had five 3-pointers in the first half when he scored all of his 15 points.
Bojan Bogdanovic scored 21 for the Pistons, who have won just onefourth of their games and are likely vying with Houston and Charlotte for the No. 1 pick and a chance to select 7-foot-3 French phenom Victor Wembanyama.
CAVALIERS 114, WIZARDS 91
Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen scored 23 points apiece and Donovan Mitchell added 21 to lead Cleveland to a rout of Washington.
All five Cleveland starters were in double figures by halftime, and the Cavaliers won for the fourth time in five games. Evan Mobley finished with 16 points and Isaac Okoro contributed 12.
Kristaps Porzingis scored 18 points for Washington, which has lost three straight following a six-game winning streak. The Wizards were playing without Bradley Beal (left foot soreness) and Kyle Kuzma (left ankle sprain).
Washington led by at least 20 in each of its previous two losses, but the Wizards didn’t have to worry about blowing a big lead on this night. In fact, they were never ahead at all.
BULLS 128, SPURS 104
Nikola Vucevic had 22 points and 12 rebounds, Andre Drummond set season highs with 21 points and 15 rebounds, and Chicago handed San Antonio its ninth straight loss.
Zach Lavine scored 20 points and Demar Derozan had 19, helping the Bulls match a season high with their third straight win. They also got some payback for a loss at San Antonio in October.
It was tied at 85 late in the third quarter when Chicago went on a 23-3 run that buried the team with the second-worst record in the Western Conference. Two more losses and the Spurs will match their worst skid of the season.
Keldon Johnson led San Antonio with 21 points. But the Spurs opened a seasonhigh, nine-game trip on an all-too-familiar note.
KINGS 140, ROCKETS 120
Keegan Murray had a career-high 30 points and set a franchise rookie record with eight 3-pointers to help Sacramento snap a two-game skid with a win over Houston.
Murray, the fourth overall pick in last year’s NBA draft, shot 8 for 12 from beyond the arc on a night when the Kings made 21 3-pointers. The previous team mark for 3s by a rookie was set by Ricky Berry with seven in 1989.
Malik Monk added 20 points off the bench and Domantas Sabonis had 17 points, seven rebounds and 10 assists in the first of consecutive games between the teams. De’aaron Fox had 16 points and eight assists for Sacramento after missing two games for personal reasons. Jalen Green had 27 points for the Rockets, who dropped their third straight.